Giving Thanks

for my silly brother with his birfday cake . . .



. . . for the GG Queen who has been my dear friend since a wee bit before the first grade and will use any means possible to get me into the Ale House!


Rock on Cap'n Jack (yumm)

and for all those people who give to others . . .

Ambrosia alert

I have been a baking fool. As a token of appreciation, these two trays of goodies went to the brave fire fighters and police of our fair city yesterday. They were so happy to have sugar delivered to them in the form of pumpkin bars and brownies that I was whisked up the elevator in the company of the chief of police and deputy chief to their super secret . . . break room. Yess! The inner sanctum!



Our first Thanksgiving in our first house. Oh, no! Look closely. Mr. BITH noticed something was missing about halfway through our meal. How could I have forgotten?!



Near Thanksgiving tragedy. Ambrosia left all by its lonesome
in the fridge? Here it is just in the nick of time.



Mmm. Punkin pie. Even better on a Don Drumm trivet. Makes everything prettier.



Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Even in uncertain times, there is a LOT to be thankful for.

I'll be heading down that tryptophan highway now . . .

Is it vewy scawy?

Vampire frenzy is sweeping the box office with the release of Twilight. And yeah, I admit it. I've read the books to see what all the hubbub is about.

Was I slightly reminded of some books I read in middle school and high school? Yes.

Does the series realistically portray (and therefore transport you back into) the cliquishness, innocence, buzz of "firsts" dramas many of us experienced or at least were aware of in high school? Kind of.

Still, the series fumbled in its language and didn't grab me to the point that I was hooked. Reminds me of my relationship with {uh oh. here I go} Harry Potter.

This post doesn't mean I won't eventually go see Twilight or rent it. It's probably a fun watch. It does mean that I 'm not running to go see it.

However, this post is for a different, less flashy type of vampire tale:
Let the Right One In



Saw it last night at the Tara. It wasn't what I was expecting which is why it took a few hours for me to realize how bruising the movie actually was. I didn't find it vewy scawy as the trailers seemed to indicate. It was beautiful, sad, eerie, quiet and a little gory.

The film not only captures the loneliness and precarious relationships of the characters, but also the Scandinavian melancholy that sets in with the winter. The cinematography is lovely and chilling and unfurls all of those small details. I think that the subtitles take away from the movie since the tension in the character's faces often affect you more than the words they've chosen to translate.

I read a few reviews this morning while thinking more about it and Carina Chocano hit the nail on the head in the LA Times Review with this single sentence:

The double-edged title — which refers to a bloodsucking technicality that says vampires must be invited into a victim's home before they can attack — raises the question of who we allow into our lives when our options are limited.

Now let's see if I like the book ;)

A message for SLF (AKA #4)

{and to answer that age-old question -- yes, you really are cute}

It would appear you have passed the quarter lifer stage to the nebulous mid-thirty something set. We, have crossed paths many a time o'er many a year on many a notepad. I thought it was time we cross the digital divide with a birthday e-missive and enter a new era of camaraderie no longer dependent on errant maids with their careless open doors and hastily scribbled notes found on bedside tables or under downy pillows.

No, now we can get on with the business of getting to know each other in an orderly fashion ushering in the dawn of light meets dark. True understanding of the world at large revealed through rumination of our combined stumbling upon this rough marble of ours.

Happy Birthday,

TDS

Happy birthday, Dad!

He truly is the bestest.

I hope today was full of fun and that there was pie involved.

Love,

Your sweet baboo

Delicious autumn!

Mr. BITH recently went to the Oakland Cemetery. We used to go visit quite a bit when we lived closer and haven't been since the tornado tore through it. He got some beautiful fall images.









Through our neighborhood association newsletter we found a very close walking trail with some of the biggest white oaks we've ever seen!

Look closely. That's me and the dog standing in front of the tree.

Sign of the times

This picture deserved its own post.



Spotted on the way back from KC. Source of hysterical laughter.

Finally caught it on camera driving to the store opening.

Sign was changed that evening. Did they see us taking the picture?

Did they realize that it was the source of mass guffawing?

Are we blasphemers . . . or are they, lol?

Congratulations, Elysium!

E⋅ly⋅si⋅um

 /ɪˈlɪʒiəm, ɪˈliʒi-, ɪˈlɪz-, ɪˈlizi-, ɪˈlɪʒəm/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [i-lizh-ee-uhm, i-lee-zhee-, i-liz-, i-lee-zee-, i-lizh-uhm] –noun

1.	Also called Elysian Fields. Classical Mythology. the abode of the blessed after death.

2.	any similarly conceived abode or state of the dead.

3.	any place or state of perfect happiness; paradise.

4.	an area in the northern hemisphere of Mars, appearing as a light region when viewed telescopically from the earth.

---

Origin:
1590–1600; Ēlýsion (pedíon) the Elysian (plain)

We'll go with number 3, thank you!



Congratulations Nancy, Pat and Andrea on a great retail store opening! I can't believe how much was accomplished in such a short time. I wish you much success, laughter and many repeat customers!

Storefront window displays





Flowers from M.E. We missed you, M.E.!



Inside the store



One of Jerry's photographs and some handcrafted copper



The jewelry is so good that even guys can't stay away! :-)~

Next fall. Our backyard.

You glorious thing, you.

This is Halloween

This is Halloween, everybody make a scene
Trick or treat till the neighbors gonna die of fright
It's our town, everybody scream
In this town of Halloween

Nice score at a thrift store, mom!



Mr. BITH as the grim reaper. This was sent to me via mobile phone.



Ms. Lili still loves Mr. B (not to be confused with Mr. BITH) despite his [un]funny face.



In our last place there were no trick-or-treaters. Even though I wasn't at the house to see 'Penny the Pirate' and all of the others - they definitely showed up for goodies. Mr. BITH and Mr. B doled out the candy and apparently scared a few kiddies without even trying. Once they saw the talking headstone they didn't even want to come around the corner to where the spider dropped. Mr. BITH and Mr. B ran out of candy (even the reserve stuff), closed up shop and headed to the bar. I *think* they had fun too.

These were the toughest, thickest pumpkins we ever attempted to carve. Got them from the State Farmers Market in Forest Park. Next year? Better, sharper tools. Maybe we'll actually finish them in 2009, lol.



Meanwhile, up in KC . . .

I guess our evening was scary enough. Here's how it went.

Us: Okay, we'll follow you to the restaurant. Where is it in general?
Them: Uh, you go on the interstate and then go next to a bridge. Don't go under it, go around it then turn right. It's somewhere in that neighborhood.
Us: Which interstate? Which bridge - and which right?
Them: Err, I don't remember exactly what street. Just follow.

:inside our car:

Me: There they are. You okay to follow? I need to check messages.
The driver: Yeah, go ahead
Me: Dials voicemail. Blah, blah, blah. Text, text, text. Checking e-mail, etc.
::Looks up:: Is that them? Wow, Bruce is going pretty fast.
The driver: Hmm. Yeah, he is usually better at letting people follow him.

>>>Phone rings>>>

Them: Where are you?
Me: On the interstate following you.
Them: We aren't on the interstate.

You can bet that based on the directions given previously that it wasn't easy to find them or the restaurant, but we eventually managed to find it . . . somewhere near a bridge, off the interstate after we took a right-hand turn. Yeah.

I walked into Garozzo's (locals told me later that this place is tied to the mafia. Who knows? Makes the story better) where the maître d' showed us to the table without me having to say a thing. Apparently, Bruce had told him that they were waiting for a red headed hussy. Hmmph. I was actually a hillbilly vampire . . . Whatever. The spiedini was so fabulous.

Be afraid. Seriously. Those fangs caused major drool.



The original hillbilly vampires.



MORE SCARY STUFF

Am I the only one noticing? They are everywhere and now taking over pools. What is with the balls in the bowls???